A small problem
by Lucyinthesky1996
Summary: Another plane crashes onto the island, with the only survivor being a baby. When Ralph becomes a surrogate mother to it, Jack says he wants nothing to do with the child. Does he mean it?
1. Relationship issues

Jack was bored.

Two whole weeks they'd been stuck on that God forsaken island and_ still_ there was no help in sight. You could say it was his own fault; he was responsible for letting the fire go out and letting that boat pass without seeing them. But still…

He tore along the forest, sick of being constantly surrounded by trees and bushes. The only part of the island that didn't make you feel claustrophobic was the beach. A good place to go when you wanted to get away from the littleun's bickering. He felt the sun hit his slightly tanned skin immediately as he walked onto the sandy front. The heat made him yawn and he hurled a rock into the water just out of sheer boredom. He was just about to throw another when he heard the sound of rustling nearby. He jumped a little; all the boys were cautious now, ever since the "beast" had attacked. You never knew what was going to leap out at you on this island. It was rotten luck that he'd left his spear back at the cave.

But it was only Ralph, the shy twelve-year-old boy who he'd been courting for sometime, quietly building shelters. He didn't notice Jack at first, and it was only when the taller boy walked up behind him that he turned around.

"Oh, it's you." He said, as if he wasn't the least bit surprised and turned to go back to his work. He was prevented however, as Jack wound both his arms around his waist and ran his lips up his neck.

"Not now Jack, I have to work."

"You're _always_ working." Jack started planting kisses against the younger boy's collarbone, making him giggle.

"Stop it." He playfully pushed Jack away, "Maybe later."

He continued attempting to hold the leaves in place but every so often they'd fall apart, forcing him to start again. In the end, he sighed and flopped down onto the sand, leaning back against a rock.

"I'll _never_ get it done." He muttered, "I've been working on it for days now…and _look_."

Jack glanced at the pile of leaves and twigs which lay in a heap around him. Indeed, it didn't look very homely. He sighed and sat next to Ralph on the sand, playing with the tip of his knife. There were a few moments of silence before Jack turned over and gently nestled his head into Ralph's neck, like a dog looking for attention. Ralph was used to this and rested his cheek against Jack's hair.

"I'm _bored_." The older boy mumbled and started to plant kisses up Ralph's neck again

"Jack, I _told_ you. I'm not in the mood."

Jack let out an exasperated sigh, "You're_ never _in the mood."

"Can you blame me? You_ never_ help me with the shelters. It's not easy doing it all on my own."

Jack groaned in annoyance, "How many times Ralph? I haven't got time to help you stick leaves together. We need meat."

"We need _shelters_."

Jack suddenly lifted his head, glaring down at the younger boy, "Are you accusing me-?"

"All I'm saying is, I've worked really hard, that's all."

Jack thought for a second then rested his head back onto Ralph's neck. The blonde haired boy felt the warmth of Jack's body beside him and asked a question he'd been dying to ask for days.

"Don't you _want_ to be rescued?"

Jack frowned at him, "What's that supposed to-?"

"I'm doing everything I can to get us out of here; I get all the hard work. And all you can ever talk about is pig, pig, pig."

"I work too!"

"But you _like_ your work. You enjoy yourself hunting!"

"I've had enough" Jack pulled himself away from Ralph and got to his feet, "If you want to stay here and build shelters, then fine! I don't need you! In fact, I wouldn't care if you dropped down dead this second!"

"Jack! That's a_ horrible_ thing to say!"

"I mean it. If you were to fall and die right this minute, I wouldn't give a toss!" and he turned and started storming down the beach.

"Jack!"

Ralph got onto his feet and called after the older boy but he was already pushing his way back into the forest. Ralph sat back down again and put his head in his knees. He hated it when Jack was horrible to him. All the red-head could ever think about was how many kisses he could give Ralph a day or how far he could poke his tongue down his throat. Why couldn't he focus on more important things like building shelters or lighting the fire or another way of getting home? Then Ralph realised – because Jack loved him so much, he didn't care if they never got rescued…

He sobbed aloud in his frustration, wishing and wishing he hadn't been such a thoughtless idiot. No wonder Jack was going off him; this island had made him so vile and foul tempered. A sound overhead drowned out his sobs. The sound of an engine. Ralph looked up through teary eyes and saw a small black dot in the sky. Something hovering above him…

A plane!

He gasped, ready to call out to Piggy and the others to get them to light the fire. It was getting lower so there was a great chance that they'd be spotted.

In fact, it was getting very low…very low indeed.

Ralph frowned; surely the plane wasn't _landing_. An island was hardly a good runway and the rest was just water.

Then he saw it.

The smoke rising from the tail of the aircraft. It got so close; the entire island seemed to be shaking under the sudden pressure. From the other end of the forest, Jack heard it too and squinted upwards as the black object seemed to block out the sun.

Ralph turned and started scrambling behind the rocks as the plane plummeted towards the island and hit the sand headfirst. The collision almost knocked Jack backwards and he coughed as dust swept through the trees like a sandstorm. He choked, trying to get some air into his lungs as he screamed.

"RALPH!"


	2. The only survivor

Ralph tried his best to stop shaking.

He'd been lucky; the rock he was hiding behind was strong enough to stay put as the plane crashed literally meters below him. Several rocks fell from the cliff, the sharp edges catching his skin and leaving marks and cuts. He was certain he'd broken every bone in his body; why else was he unable to move? He shook his legs to make sure they were still intact. His arms still worked. His neck was fine. So what was stopping him?

Shock. Utter, complete…shock.

He couldn't believe this was happening. Everything was like a dream. For a moment, he was back on the plane taking them to be evacuated. Then he was falling, down into the depths of the ocean, water filling his bursting lungs. Drowning was a funny thing…like falling in slow motion. And Jack…why was Jack there? Grinning at him from the bottom of the sea…?

He blinked and he was back in reality.

The shaking hadn't stopped; his palms and forehead were now beading with sweat and he felt like he was going to be heavily sick any minute. He was so dazed, he couldn't even cry. When he had the courage to stand up, his knees were shaking and he had to walk in slow steps to prevent himself from toppling over. He supported himself on a rock and slowly began to move his way back down to the sand. He staggered towards the ruins of the plane, coughing at the dust.

"Hello?" he choked, "…_hello_?"

Not a sound.

No one could have survived a crash like that.

Then the smell hit him. Gas. He knew the aircraft was about to blow. He needed to get out of there. He was about to make his way back up the rocks to safety when something made him stop.

A small cry.

He paused, his ears trying to track where it had come from.

And then again.

Definitely crying.

Coming from inside the plane.

It must have been either foolishness or curiosity that drove him inside. The door had been blown right off in the collision, making it easy to enter. He covered his mouth to block out the toxic fumes as he walked past two lifeless pilots and went into the passenger cart. He stepped over the bodies, retching at the stench of blood and smoke as the cries got louder. The dust was now thick and he could hear the gas dripping. Any minute now the plane would be up in flames. It was like being blind; his eyes watered and stung but he kept going.

And then he saw; as some of the dust cleared, wrapped in the arms of a dead, bloodied woman, a baby. Probably only a few months old. He stared at it for a few seconds, taking in the image of the tiny, shrieking human being. Then he gently latched it out of the woman's arms; she'd been holding onto it tightly and put a hand over its mouth to prevent it from inhaling too much smoke. The gas was still dripping. He broke into a run, escaping out of the cockpit and started to climb back up the rocks. The infant hollered in his arms, seemingly afraid of heights. It was difficult climbing and holding onto the squirming baby at the same time but Ralph managed to pull himself onto a small ledge and hold it properly. He took a deep breath of fresh air, feeling the relief of something clean entering his lungs. The crying ceased and the baby blinked up at him, giving the blonde time to study its face.

It seemed unhurt, despite the small mark on its forehead. It was fair-skinned; with rosy cheeks. Obviously British, born and bred. Ralph could see it in its eyes.

Its eyes…such a pretty blue colour. It had Jack's eyes.

"You're a lucky one." Ralph realised his voice was shaking, "You are. We _both_ are."

Suddenly an explosion loud enough to make ears bleed erupted from down below. Ralph ducked, shielding the little one from any possible harm as the world below seemed to explode around them.

* * *

><p>Jack felt like all the breath had been knocked out of him.<p>

He was almost at the other end of the forest when the plane hit the ground. The dust had begun to clear a bit and when he could see again, the smell of smoke hit his lungs. He fought to breathe, his vision became double and for a moment he thought he was going mad. He knees gave way and he fell onto all fours, crawling his way down back to the beach. His knees scratched against the sharp twiggy ground but he didn't care. He allowed the small specks of blood to drip down his legs.

_Pull yourself together Jack._

He struggled to his feet, staggering as he did his best to get to the beach. The smoke got stronger and he covered his mouth; trying to get some fresh air into his system. All the while, he thought about what a fool he'd been, about what he'd said to Ralph just minutes before the plane hit.

_I don't need you! In fact, I wouldn't care if you dropped down dead this second!_

"Stupid…stupid." He managed to mutter under his breath as he got to the beach. Before he could put a foot on the sand, the whole world seemed to explode and he dropped to the ground, covering his head. Objects hurled themselves over him in every direction, debris covered his skin. The heat of fire licked against his flesh. When he was brave enough to open his eyes, he watched in horror as the plane burned to rubble in front of him.

And the rest was deadly silence.

* * *

><p>When Ralph finally got to the top of the cliff, he was exhausted. He lay flat on his back, the baby rested underneath his arm and he breathed in short breaths. This was all getting too hectic for him. He needed a break. When he felt a bit stronger, he sat himself up and rested the baby on his lap, where it blinked up at him curiously. It was a pretty little thing; it resembled a smaller version of SamnEric with the small strands of blonde hair. Ralph gently unwrapped the blanket it was in and sighed.<p>

Another boy. Just what they needed.

He must have been about seven months old as he seemed to have a fascination of crawling and attempted to escape from Ralph several times before Ralph scooped him up in his arms to prevent him from doing any bodily harm.

"You'll need a name," he said, though the baby just gurgled in reply, "Can't have you waltzing around with no identification can we?" he gently stroked those tiny fingers. The baby chirped happily and began sucking on his forefinger, leaving traces of saliva on Ralph's skin.

So young…yet so oblivious to that chaos that was going on around him.


	3. Rainbow tears

"Is everyone okay?" Roger crawled out from his hiding place behind the rocks, scanning the cave for the others.

Simon emerged, holding a little un in his arms. The other little uns gathered around him, trembling and huddling together. Maurice and Robert pulled themselves out from the corner. Piggy wiped the dirt away from his glasses. A few cuts and bruises, but at least they had all made it in one piece.

It'd been Eric who'd alerted them of the coming plane; he'd been keeping watch of the fire on the cliff top when he'd seen the aircraft plummeting towards them. He'd managed to signal to the others who were hovering outside the cave (probably waiting for a pig to come by) and they'd fled, into the cave as the plane had smashed head first into the beach. About five minutes later, a gigantic explosion shook the island, making the little un's scream.

Roger did his best not to inhale too much dust; he'd learnt from experience when their own plane had crashed onto the island. He immediately looked round for Jack, hoping he wasn't too badly hurt. The tribe needed their chief. But then he remembered that Jack had told him he was going hunting for a while. He'd run off into the forest before anyone could question him and then…

Roger dismissed that thought quickly. Jack was smart. He wouldn't go and get himself killed. That was something Piggy would do. But that didn't stop the concern mounting up inside of him. It occurred to him that Ralph was also missing. He didn't really like Ralph – he acted like he _hated_ him in fact – but…well…he didn't want him to be _dead_. Even _he_ wouldn't wish that on anybody.

"Where's Ralph?" he asked, looking around for any reaction. The little un's gathered up around Maurice, whimpering slightly.

Sam coughed nervously, "He was building shelters…"

"Where?" Roger shook his head impatiently, "_Where_?"

"…on the beach…"

Roger scratched the back of his head in disbelief and looked out towards the mouth of the cave.

"Oh no…"

* * *

><p>Nothing could prevent the tears.<p>

Not anymore.

Jack walked in small steps, the debris from the plane still wafting freely in the air. He didn't care if another plane fell and blew the island up completely. Without Ralph, nothing mattered anymore.

He made his way back to the cave, staring ahead as if he was in another world. All of a sudden the noise seemed to disappear around him; the howling of birds, the squealing of the pigs. It all just vanished. He felt water swell around his feet and realised he'd walked into the middle of the river separating him from the slope which led up to the cave. He stared at his reflection, at the hideous beast he'd become. He stared at himself; his red hair hanging loosely over his face, his war paint dripping red on his skin…

He splashed water onto his face, so hard that he scratched himself in the process. He didn't care. He wanted to bleed. He splashed the water harder so his war paint ran red and blue in the water, making colourful ripples around him. He rubbed so hard he thought his skin would fall off. But the paint remained stubbornly on his face.

He suddenly sobbed, his arms dropping to his sides in defeat, the colour still dripping off his face and making rainbow tears in the water below.

* * *

><p>"JACK!"<p>

Roger called until his voice was hoarse but still no reply came. He ran his fingers through his hair, looking around desperately for the red-head. But he was nowhere to be seen.

"RALPH!"

By now, Simon and Piggy had joined in the search. They'd searched every inch of the forest looking for Jack. But he was nowhere to be seen. SamnEric had searched around the wreckage on the beach, incase they caught sight of Ralph but had found nothing. They reported back to Roger, defeated. The littleuns were still distressed by the whole situation and Maurice and Robert were having difficulty controlling them. Every now and then, one of them would burst out into a flurry of tears or start screaming hysterically. Percival was having a similar fit right at that moment, kicking and shrieking whilst Robert and Maurice did their best to hold him down.

"Percy, stop-"

"You're only making it-"

"-worse for yourself!"

The little un ignored them and just carried on screeching. The noise almost drove Roger insane and he stormed over to where Percival was being restrained and slapped him across the face.

"_Shut_ it! I've had enough! Jack could be _dying_ out there for all we know and here you are – screaming like a bloody banshee! Until we find Jack, _I'm _in charge and if you don't stop hollering I'll tan your bloody hide, you get me?"

Percival stopped screaming and started sobbing instead, collapsing into Roger's arms. The second chief paused before resting his cheek against the little one's hair, his anger dying down a little. He could feel the pummeling of the boy's heart, the way he shook told Roger how afraid he was. He was still only a baby really.

"I'm sorry Percy" he made sure his apology was quiet so the others couldn't hear him, "I'm just…worried. Jack could be hurt – or worse. You have to understand…"

He waited until the sobbing had stopped then handed the little un back to Maurice. He did his best to keep the frustrated tears back and took a deep breath.

"Everyone back in the cave. Maurice gather up the little un's, they need a rest. Simon and Piggy, keep watch in case the other two turn up. Robert, get the fire going again"

"Who made _you_ chief?"

The voice behind him made Roger jump and he turned to see Jack, the chief of the tribe standing before him, shaking a little. He looked estranged; his hair was almost hiding his eyes, the remainders of his war paint dripping down the sides of his face and making dots on the floor. There were scratches on his face, beginning to drip blood. He was staring at Roger with joyless eyes, as if he was about to faint.

"Jack…" Roger gasped, hurrying towards him, "How did you-? Where's Ralph?"

Jack stared at him, as if he'd gone mad and all of a sudden his legs gave way beneath him. Roger caught him before he tumbled to the floor and the red head began howling; heart aching sobs into the crook of Roger's neck. Roger looked down at him helplessly, then glanced at Piggy and Simon who were standing there struck dumb. Reality suddenly hit Simon and he too began to weep.

Piggy hitched up his glasses awkwardly as both boys' sobs seemed to mingle and were carried away into the evening sky.


	4. Return from the dead

Ralph wasn't sure if he should go back to the cave so soon.

What if Jack was still angry with him? Maybe he meant what he said. Maybe he didn't give a toss if Ralph was dead.

Ralph sighed and allowed the baby to suck at his finger some more. He was a puzzle, that Jack Merridew. One moment he was kind and caring and the next, you just wanted to knock his head off his shoulders. Ralph didn't know how he would react when he saw the baby. He'd probably banish them both, knowing Jack. He started worrying about how the little ones were coping; they depended on Ralph like pups depended on she wolves. He knew how short-tempered Jack was. And how nasty some of his punishments could be.

"It's no use." he said to the little one, "We're going to have to go home and face your new daddy."

* * *

><p>Ever since his break down, the red-head had been silent.<p>

He laid on his stomach in the cave, scratching lines on the floor with his fingernail. Simon sat beside him, rubbing small circles on his back, hoping to comfort him a little. But the boy remained emotionless, staring out of the mouth of the cave as if he was expecting Ralph to come skipping through it any moment.

"It wasn't your fault Jack." Roger said awkwardly as he wasn't very good at comforting people, "I mean…it was his own fault. He was batty, getting himself blown up like that."

Jack looked at him, disbelief welling up in his eyes.

"I _loved_ him, you tosser." He said in a quiet hiss.

"Well you had a funny way of showing it." Roger snapped harshly.

Jack opened his mouth but decided at that moment Roger wasn't worth arguing with and put his chin back on his arms. Roger snorted and jumped off the rock he was sitting on, going out to the front of the cave and looking out over the edge, down at the sea below. The remains of the plane were still sprawled across the beach. No one could have survived that. It was impossible.

Roger sighed as Simon came and stood beside him, making sure Jack was well out of earshot.

"He's gone nuts."

"He's traumatized, you _idiot_." Simon muttered, casting Roger a harsh glare.

"Don't _you _start getting all bitchy on me."

"_Bitchy_? Is _that_ what you call it?"

"Don't frown Si, it'll ruin your face."

"My friend has just _died _and that's all you've got to say?"

"What do you _want_ me to say?"

"Jack's right. You _are_ a tosser." Simon started making his way down the slope, towards the forest. This was not the reaction Roger was expecting.

"Where are you going?" he called to the dark haired boy as Simon was almost halfway down the slope.

"I'm going to find Ralph."

"Simon, that's _crazy_. No one could have survived an explosion like that!"

The younger boy ignored him, slipping and cursing until he got to the bottom of the slope. Roger struggled to find the right words. Apologising was not something he liked doing.

"…baby, come back, I'm sorry!"

But Simon kept walking, leaving Roger to rot in his own stupidity as he disappeared into the trees.

* * *

><p>"RALPH!"<p>

Simon yelled until his voice cracked. He trod along the forest, searching in every bush or tree for the blonde haired boy. But whenever he called out, no reply came. It began to grow dark and eventually the dark-haired boy was forced to make his way back up the slope to the cave. It looked like Roger was right; Ralph was dead. And there was nothing he could do about it.

He paused for breath when he got to the top of the slope, sitting down and putting his head on his knees. He sighed deeply, trying to make sense of the situation. This wasn't real; everything was like a frenzied nightmare. Everything was a mix of pigs, war paint and explosions. He sighed again, wishing he could go home, wishing he'd never got on that stupid plane in the first place. Where were grown ups when you needed them? Off fighting in some bloody war! It wasn't fair.

He could hear movement coming from behind him, but thinking it was just a pig or a bird he ignored it. He went on ignoring as he heard footsteps coming up behind him. He turned, ready to tell Sam or Eric that he wasn't in the mood for playing games.

It wasn't SamnEric.

It was Ralph.


	5. A surprise for Jack

Jack remained alone in the cave, curled up in the darkness away from the others. The forest was silent at night, only the twittering of birds could be heard. He angrily wiped the tears from his eyes, leaving trails of sand on his face. He was such a_ fool_, crying over something as pathetic as love. But Ralph…oh dear Ralph. He was so perfect, he was everything Jack wasn't. Patient, warm hearted, kind.

And now…

Now he'd slipped through Jack's fingers for good.

He started crying again.

If only Ralph were there. To hold him and kiss the tears away. Or to even slap him around the head and tell him to stop being such a girl.

He thought of Ralph's face. Those beautiful blue eyes…each one so deep and meaningful. His warm smile, his perfect smooth voice. They belonged to an angel now. But Ralph already was an angel.

From the mouth of the cave, Ralph listened to Jack as he cried, feeling guilt and fear wash over him at the same time. He gave Simon a nervous glance then gently handed him the baby, making sure it was still asleep and quietly walked into the darkness of the cave. He could just see Jack, huddled in one corner and went up behind him, moving his arms up and over the red-head's heaving shoulders. Then, as tenderly as possible, he brought his arms together, surrounding the red-head in a hug.

Jack froze, a ghost of a feeling spreading down his spine. He turned around and met Ralph's eyes, as the blonde buy eyed him nervously. He thought he was dreaming. He suddenly paled, and he felt like he was going to collapse again. He staggered up to Ralph and felt his face, smoothing his hands on his cheeks to make sure he was actually real.

"Ralph…are you…are you…?"

"Yes Jack" the blonde boy giggled, "I'm real"

Jack paused before clasping his lips against Ralph's, smothering him in a heart warming kiss. Ralph squeaked in surprise as Jack dipped him sideways, giving him a real film star kiss, like in the black and white movies Ralph used to watch back at home. They kissed as if they were starving, chasing each others tongues like cat and dog. Jack clung to him like he never wanted to let him go.

"Jack…" Ralph gasped for air, "…honey…"

"Never scare me like that again, you hear?" Jack's voice was almost tearful, "Don't leave me like that again baby, please…"

They began kissing again; the red head pulled down the collar of Ralph's torn shirt so he could kiss around his neck and down his collar-bone. Ralph sighed with appreciation, closing his eyes as he felt Jack's warm lips press against his skin, leaving a trail of kisses.

"Jack…" Ralph pulled away from the red head's wandering mouth and put his arms around his neck, "…there's something I need to tell you"

"Can't it wait?" Jack leaned in to kiss him again but was stopped by Ralph's finger on his lips.

"No, I need to tell you now" he pulled away from Jack's arms and went back to the mouth of the cave. Jack frowned slightly as he saw Simon hand the blonde boy something. Then Ralph returned, he was holding something in his arms.

"What's that?" the frown was still spread across Jack's face.

Ralph swallowed and gently folded back the ragged cloth. Jack stared in shock as he looked upon the bundle and saw a baby's face; their identical blue eyes meeting for the first time.


	6. First impressions

Ralph peered at Jack anxiously.

"So…what do you think?"

Jack's mouth quivered a little as he fought to find the words.

"It's…cute."

His eyebrows rose a little as the baby grabbed hold of his index finger and began sucking at it happily. Ralph grinned sheepishly.

"Don't worry, babies always do that."

Jack continued examining the infant, trailing his finger from its cheeks to its nose. Its skin was soft and its cheeks were slightly tinted pink. There was a nasty looking mark on its forehead but it seemed unfazed by it. It was teething; Jack could tell as his finger was soon coated with saliva.

"Is it a girl then?"

Ralph shook his head, "Nope. Another boy."

"Just what we need."

"I know." Ralph sighed, "Still, girls tend to make more fuss."

"Yeah, I suppose. But Ralph…where did you _get_ it? Babies don't just fall out of the sky."

Ralph blushed, "Well this one sort of did. He was on the plane…and I heard him crying so…"

"Ralph, you _idiot_! You could have been killed!"

"He's a defenceless baby; I couldn't leave him in there!"

"_I_ could have!"

"You're a coward Jack."

"That I am." He smiled and planted a kiss on Ralph's nose, "But don't you go around telling the littleuns that."

Ralph sighed and cuddled the baby closer. Its eyes were beginning to droop again.

"He's tired." Ralph said, feeling exhaustion begin to overwhelm his as well.

"Don't blame it. You do realise that we can't keep it Ralph."

"Why not? We can manage."

"We can barely manage with the littleuns, let alone a baby. Come on, we need to leave it."

"But…he'll die."

"It'll die anyway Ralph, even if it does stay with us. That's just the way it goes sometimes."

"…Please. Just one night. You can't leave him out there on his own. The pigs will get him."

Jack sighed and rested his cheek on Ralph's hair, too tired to argue.

"Alright, but just one night. Tomorrow I want it gone"


	7. Kiss and make up

The little uns screamed when they saw Ralph and immediately hid themselves behind Maurice. Ralph scratched the back of his head awkwardly, eyeing the others who were staring at him as if he were an alien species.

"Hi guys…" he said, looking embarrassed.

There was a moment's silence, before Percival cautiously crept up to him and poked him in the stomach.

"..are you a ghost?" he asked a little worriedly.

Ralph laughed and gave him a hug and it was only a matter of seconds before the little uns had plucked up their courage and gone to join in. Jack watched from the other side of the cave, the baby still in his arms. The way the little uns ran to Ralph…it was as if he was their mother. They'd only been on this island a few weeks and already they'd forgotten about their real parents. The poor things, they were far too young to understand the seriousness of the situation. The red head glanced down at the baby. Only a few months old and he didn't even have a mother anymore. The world really was a messed up place.

"Jack? Aren't you going to show them the new arrival?"

Ralph's voice brought Jack back to life and he coughed nervously, stepping into the light so the little uns had a good view of the baby in his arms. As soon as they saw it, curiosity overwhelmed them and they made a circle around the chief, asking a million questions a second.

"What is it?"

"Where did you _get_ it?"

"Is it a boy or a girl?"

"Where are it's teeth?"

"Is it _yours_ Jack?"

"No." Jack coughed again, wishing someone would take the infant from him as it was starting to dribble down his front, "It belongs to Ralph."

"_He_ belongs to Ralph." Ralph sounded slightly irritated, "And he isn't just mine. He's all of ours."

Sam's eyes lit up, "Is he going to stay with us?"

"No" Jack butted in quickly, "Just for the night. Then it's leaving."

"But…where will he go?"

"Stop asking questions Sam. It's time you were all in bed anyway. It's been a very long day and I'm tired."

"Oh, but Jaaack…" the littleuns whined.

"No buts. Now get to bed before the beast gets you."

That sent them off. Ralph sighed and took the baby from Jack; by now it had created a mini waterfall down his chest.

"You should sleep too Ralph." Jack said as he wiped the wetness from his front, "You've had one heck of a day."

"Uh huh..." Ralph was too busy nurturing the baby to notice. He'd asked Simon to make a place for him to sleep and he carefully placed the infant in the bed of leaves the other boy had prepared. The baby seemed comfortable enough and eventually its eyelids fluttered close. Ralph smiled and all of a sudden something seemed to pass between him and the infant; a feeling of love and affection for one another. A look of displeasure spread across Jack's face.

"Don't…"

Ralph frowned a little, "Don't what?"

"Look at it like that. You're not it's mother"

"_Him_, Jack. He has a gender"

"Whatever. All I'm saying is, don't get too attached to it."

"Jack…please let him stay."

"No"

"But-"

"I said _no_, Ralph. We've got enough little ones. We don't need anymore. Now don't give me the face, you know I'm right. We better get some sleep now, it's late. And in the morning I want it gone. Before I wake up, understand?"

* * *

><p>Roger was put on watch that night and sat alone outside the cave, with nothing to do but sharpen his spear some more. The littleuns were all curled up next to each other; they'd been doing that since the beast rumour had started as they were too afraid to sleep on their own. They were practically piled on top of each other, giving them the appearance of newborn puppies. Ralph and Jack were asleep on the other side of the cave, wrapped in each other's arms with the baby fast asleep in a bed of leaves next to them. Piggy was leaning against a rock, gently snoring. Maurice and Robert had dropped off too, still clutching their spears as if they were toys. The crash seemed to have worn everyone out.<p>

Roger yawned, feeling his eyes droop a little. It'd been a tiring day; bombs, people returning from the dead, the little uns going off their rockers. Blimey, sometimes he wondered why he hadn't gone mad already.

He knew why – because of a certain someone.

He was jostled awake when he heard the sound of a twig snapping behind him. He leapt on top of a rock, scanning the area for any sign of a pig or even worse – the beast. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw two emerald green eyes blink up at him.

"Simon…what are you doing up?"

"Couldn't sleep" Simon answered vaguely, sitting himself down on the ground. He stared out at the dark horizon, as if he was waiting for a ship to suddenly spring into view. Roger twiddled his thumbs nervously.

"Look Si, what I said before…I didn't mean it"

Simon shrugged, making small circles on the ground with his fingertip.

"I mean it. I just..got carried away that's all. I was worried."

Again, Simon shrugged and got to his feet; kicking sand out of his way as he went and stood at the edge of the slope, never taking his eyes off the sea.

Roger paused, then jumped off from the rock and wound his arms around Simon's waist, so he was talking into his neck, "I was only teasing you, you know how I feel about you"

"_Ha_" Simon suddenly spat, "You have a lousy way of showing it"

Seeing his charm wasn't working, Roger tried another tactic. Something which was almost but not _quite_ an apology.

"I am _trying_ to kiss and make up here" he lifted Simon's chin with his finger and turned it sideways so their eyes met, "Now won't you _please_ forgive me?"

"You'll have to do better than that, sunshine"

Roger sighed, "Honestly Simon, why do you have to be such a _diva_ all the time?"

"_Me_? What about _you_? You can rant and rave about this, that or the other until the cows come home! God, you are so _arrogant_!"

"At least I'm not sensitive!"

"At least I'm not_ bossy_!"

"Oh yeah, well you're…_difficult_"

"You're manipulative"

"Over-emotional!"

"Stubborn!"

"Prissy!"

"Cold hearted!"

"Over bearing!"

"Poisonous…" Simon suddenly trailed off, realising he was only inches away from Roger's lips. The older boy smirked.

"Toxic…" he whispered, before smothering the younger boy with a kiss.


	8. It's me or that

When Jack awoke, Ralph was gone.

_Good_, the red-head thought, _he's gone to get rid of that baby. Now things can go back to the way they were._

The others were already gone, probably for another hunting session. Great, when Ralph got back it'd just be the two of them. He couldn't _wait_ to kiss those lips.

He stretched out and sighed contently, listening to the peaceful sounds of a baby laughing.

_A baby laughing?_

Jack sat up, squinting at the sun and glared over to the other side of the cave. Ralph was sitting on top of the largest rock in the cave, muttering baby talk whilst the infant squealed with delight in his arms. Jack had never seen Ralph so happy; the blonde was smiling like a toddler on Christmas Day. He noticed the red-head staring.

"_Look_ Jack!" the blonde had never sounded so excited, "He's _laughing_! He's actually laughing!"

Jack stopped the smile from crossing his lips and replaced it with an intimidating frown.

"I thought I told you to get rid of it."

The smile faded from Ralph's face.

"...he was hungry…he started crying. So Roger found this sow and got some milk for him…"

"You gave it _pig_ milk?"

"There was nothing else."

"Whatever. The point is, you disobeyed me Ralph."

"I am not your_ property_ Jack, you can't _control_ me."

"Oh yes I can. You're my wife."

"No I'm not! Well, not _yet_. So what if I'm your wife anyway?"

"A chief's wife has to do _everything_ the chief says."

"Not this one."

"Ralph…" Jack leaned forwards so his blue eyes glinted against the sun, "…get rid of it."

"_HIM!_" Ralph suddenly blurted out, "Stop treating him like some kind of _object_!"

"That's all it is to me. An object. Something that just gets in the way!"

"Are you _jealous_, Jack Merridew?"

Jack's cheeks burned redder than his hair, "Jealous? You _dare_ call me jealous? If you ever say that again, I'll whip you! And _yes_ I can do that because I'm the chief and I can do anything I want!"

He paused for breath. Ralph trembled a little, Jack's temper frightened him sometimes as the red-head was quite unpredictable. Jack, thinking maybe he'd been a little harsh in his last statement, cleared his throat and spoke a little softer.

"It's me or the baby, Ralph." He said quietly, "Me or _that_."

Ralph felt his eyes glass over a little and he nodded slowly, getting to his feet. He paced up and down, rocking the baby gently whilst Jack sat sulkily in the background.

"Fine…" Ralph said eventually, "…fine."

He started walking to the mouth of the cave, the baby still in his arms. This wasn't what Jack was expecting.

"Where are you going?"

"To the forest" Ralph said bitterly, "I'm _banished_ aren't I?"

"Banished?"

"Since you don't want either of us, I suppose you never want to see us again. So we're banished, right?"

"Ralph-"

"You've made it perfectly clear Jack. You want nothing to do with us. You asked me to choose between you and him. So I'm choosing him."

Jack's bottom lip quivered slightly, "_Him_? But why?"

"He's a helpless baby Jack, he needs me."

"_I_ need you!" Jack couldn't stop himself from crying out. Then he realised he was on his feet and there were fat tears pouring down his cheeks. Ralph started chewing his lip nervously.

"I'm sorry Jack." He whispered quietly, before turning to make his way out of the cave.

"You can't _do_ this to me!" Jack wept, feeling stupid and girly but unable to stop the tears.

Ralph winced at the pain in the red head's voice and bent his head, allowing a tear to escape his eye.

"I'm sorry." He muttered feebly, "Goodbye Jack..."

He started walking then, because he was crying. Jack watched him as he disappeared into the blinding sunlight and it was then that he realised if he didn't do something, he would lose the boy he loved for good.

"Ralph…" he wiped the wetness from his eyes and took to his heels, "Ralph, _wait_!"


	9. The chief begs

"Ralph! _Please_, just wait a second! We can talk about this!"

Ralph almost laughed, "_Talk_? You were never one for talk, Jack Merridew."

"Just slow down a bit, at least let me apologise!"

Ralph stopped, as if considering.

"You're the chief Jack." He said shallowly, "You_ never_ apologise."

"No, I don't." Jack went up behind him and wound his arms around his hips, "But I'm apologising now. I'm sorry Ralph; I was a complete and utter prat. I shouldn't have spoken to you like that. I was wrong and I was foolish and I'm really, really sorry. So please, come back. I don't want you to leave."

A small feeling of triumph started buzzing in Ralph's stomach. But he wasn't going to let Jack Merridew walk all over him that easily.

"Sorry Jack" he removed the red-head's hands from around his waist, "Not good enough."

"Do you want me to _beg_?"

Ralph paused; glad that Jack couldn't see his lips curl up into a smile.

"Yes." He said flippantly, the baby still cradled in his arms.

Jack hoped that no one else was watching as he sank to his knees.

"Please…" he said in a shaking voice, "…I love you, and I'd like you to be my wife."

Ralph considered the plea, "Still not good enough."

Jack tried again; deciding the only way to get through to Ralph was by making a complete fool of himself.

"I love you Ralph." He said quietly, taking the blonde's hand, "and I'd be honoured to have you as my wife."

Ralph looked down at the red head, the baby balanced on his hip and he sighed. He had Jack Merridew exactly where he wanted him; on his knees, a place even Roger couldn't get him. All of a sudden he could see the sincerity in Jack's eyes and he felt terrible.

"Jack…" he said quietly, crouching in front of him, "I'll come back. But only if you let him stay too."

Jack glared at the baby and for a second Ralph saw anger flash across his eyes. But then he nodded.

"Alright…" he said quietly, his head bowed, "Alright."

They both stood, shaking a little. Jack gently placed a kiss on Ralph's lips.

"It's yours now Ralph." He said quietly, glancing at the infant, "I'll let it stay, but I want nothing to do with it. It's _yours_. When I'm out hunting and you're building shelters, Simon can look after it and Roger can get milk for it. But don't expect me to be of any help. I have more important things to do than look after a baby, you get me?"

Ralph rolled his eyes and smiled, pulling Jack closer.

"I get you Jack" he kissed him again, "I get you."


	10. Letting down your guard

The boys were awoken that night by the sound of crying. The infant had decided it didn't want to sleep and was hollering like an injured pig. Ralph paced up and down the cave, rocking it and whispering to it but nothing seemed to work. It just went on wailing.

"Have you fed him?" Simon asked.

"Yes."

"Changed him?"

"Yes."

"Maybe he's sick" Sam said, "His cheeks are red."

"No, he's just tired" Ralph did his best to settle the infant, "I don't know what's wrong with him, I've tried everything."

"Just shove a stick down its throat so we can all get some sleep!" Roger growled, trying to block out the howling by covering his ears.

Jack said nothing. He just sat in the corner in stony silence.

"I give up." Ralph said eventually, settling the little one back into its bed of leaves, "We'll just have to wait for him to stop."

The baby had other ideas. It howled throughout the night whilst the boys did their best to ignore it. Eventually the little uns dropped off, undisturbed by the noise. After a while, Robert and Maurice grew used to the wailing and they too let their eyes shut. Soon the only one awake was Jack, glaring at the baby in the darkness, wishing and wishing it was older so he had a good excuse to throw it off a cliff. In the end, he got up and sidled over to it and making sure not to wake Ralph, he gently lifted the crying infant in his arms and sat down on a rock.

When Jack was an infant, singing would always get him to calm down. He loved the sound of someone's voice, he didn't know why but it always made him feel safe and relaxed. He hoped – as he was tired and wanted to get some rest - that the same would work on this little one. He gently began singing (though it was almost inaudible under the cries) an old hymn he'd once sung in the choir.

"_Kyrie, kyrie, kyrie eleison_…"

He paused as the crying had softened a little, and the baby was blinking up at him. He carried on.

"_Kyrie, kyrie, kyrie eleison._"

He got to his feet and slowly started walking back to the cradle of leaves. He carried on singing, as he gently placed the now half awake infant back into its bed.

"_Kyri__, kyri, kyri, kyri_…" he started rubbing gentle circles onto the baby's stomach, "…_kyri, kyri, kyrie_"

Soon the crying had stopped completely and was replaced by the sound of steady breathing. Jack watched the sleeping child and suddenly felt warm; the night air didn't seem to chill him anymore. Realising that he was smiling, he quickly remembered who he was and cleared his throat, going back to his own sleeping space.

Little did he know that a certain blonde boy had been watching the whole time.


	11. Jack almost gives it away

"_Look_ at them." Roger said in disgust as he, Jack and Piggy watched Ralph playing with the baby, "You'd think he were a baby himself, muttering all that gibberish."

"Its _baby talk_, Roger" Ralph said, "Babies love it. Don't you?" he said to the smiling infant who was outstretched in his arms above him. The little one squealed in delight.

"Pathetic" Roger muttered, rubbing the tip of his spear against a rock, "Still, pathetic is your middle name, isn't it Ralphy?"

"Don't call him that." Jack hissed, causing a frown to spread across Roger's face.

"Alright _chief_. Didn't mean to offend your missus."

Ralph rolled his eyes and took his attention back to the baby. Jack didn't take his eye off them; the way Ralph held the baby with such care and gentleness gave him the appearance of a mother already. He _must_ have had a younger brother or sister back in England – how else would he be such an expert? All of a sudden an image came to Jack's head, an image of him and Ralph with the infant; standing almost like a family. He pictured it and for some strange reason was unable to get the idea out of his head.

"Time for a bathe I think." Ralph collected the baby in his arms, "I'll see you lot later, this little one could use a wash."

Roger watched as he walked past them, his eyes suddenly diverting downwards towards Ralph's slightly tanned thighs, "I never thought I'd say this Jack, but you pulled a good one there."

"You already have a boyfriend Roger." Piggy said, hitching up his glasses, "_Simon_."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I can't have a little fun once and a while can I? I need to make the most of it anyway; incase _I_ get lumbered with a baby like Jack."

"It's nothing to do with me." Jack spat, though for some reason the words tasted wrong in his mouth.

"Well, you're not going to be able to get rid of it." Piggy said, "So you'll have to get used to it."

"Here's an idea." Roger leaned against his spear, "You can take it down into the forest and leave it to the beast."

"Roger!" Jack slammed his fists down onto the ground, "Don't you _ever_ say that again!"

Roger and Piggy both blinked in surprise.

"Bloody hell Jack, I was just kidding. _Jeez_, anyone would think you actually _cared_ about the wretched thing!"

"I don't..." Jack's cheeks burned furiously, "But I _do_ care about Ralph, and if he's happy then _I'm_ happy, so _shut_ it!"

He got up and stormed back into the cave, cursing under his breath.

Roger glanced at Piggy.

"What bit _him_?"


	12. The chief gives in

"What's its name then?"

Ralph glanced up, his eyebrows knitting together slightly. Jack was studying the baby who was lying on the floor kicking it's legs happily, a look of slight admiration spread across his face. Jack hadn't spoken of the baby for a while now and this question surprised the blonde.

"I haven't decided yet."

"Well, it needs a name. Otherwise it'll have no identification."

"Why are you so interested anyway?"

"I'm not. I just think it needs a name."

Ralph took a deep breath, "Okay…what about Harry?"

Jack pulled a face, "Nah, it don't look like a Harry. Do you son?" he called down to the infant who only gurgled in reply.

"Rob is a good name."

"We already have a Robert and one is enough."

"Tom is nice."

"Yeah, but it's very common."

"Well, what do _you_ think we should call him?"

"I told you, it's yours. It's nothing to do with me."

"Well you're so keen for him to have a name. So _you_ name him."

Jack sighed, admitting defeat and looked down at the little boy who was now attempting to crawl away from him. He caught him by the waist and lifted him so he could look into his eyes.

"Hmm…what about Nimrod?"

Ralph stared at him, "…_Nimrod_?"

"It means 'a skilled hunter'. It's perfect."

"A skilled hunter? Are you comparing him to yourself Jack?"

"Maybe I am."

Ralph raised an eyebrow which caused the red-head to blush.

"I was only kidding Ralph. I think it looks like a Nimrod, that's all. If you don't like it, it's fine. It's your baby and all-"

"No, Nimrod will do. But let's just call him Nim. It's cuter"

"Deal. Do you hear that son? Your name is Nim now." Jack turned his head to Ralph, grinning, "I think he likes it."

"Jack…"

"What? Why are you staring at me like that?"

"You said 'he'…instead of it."

Jack's cheeks went red again, "Yes…well…he does have a gender."

"Jack…is he beginning to grow on you?"

"No!" Jack set the infant down on the floor quickly, "Well….he is quite sweet I suppose..."

"I knew it. I _knew_ you had a weakness. I didn't know it was babies though."

"A chief does not have a weakness." Jack said, putting his hands on his hips.

They were interrupted by a sudden squeal of joy that came from the other side of the cave. Nimrod had discovered Roger's stash of war paints and had begun covering himself in the stuff so his body and forehead were stained red and blue. Jack laughed; a different laugh to his normal one. It was a genuine, happy laugh that left a twinkle in his eye.

"See Ralph." He put his arms around the blonde boy as they watched their child at play, "He's one of us already."


	13. Plotting

"Jack oughtn't to be chief."

Simon frowned, peering up at Roger.

"What?"

The two of them were sitting at the top of the slope, watching a meteorite shower. Not too far away from them was Jack, Ralph and Nim; already they looked like a proper family as the infant sat in between his two new parents and pointed to the sky whenever a shooting star passed.

"Jack oughtn't to be chief." Roger repeated himself, "He never takes anything seriously anymore. He never comes on hunting trips, he never keeps watch of the fire; all he does is spend all his time with Ralph and that baby."

"He's just trying to be a proper dad to Nim."

"But he's _not_ its dad! Its real dad was burnt to death in that plane! And it should have burned to death as well!"

"Roger!"

"I mean it! If it had, none of this would ever have happened! Jack shouldn't be chief anymore! He's weak and chiefs aren't meant to be weak! This tribe will collapse if someone doesn't take action soon!"

"What are you saying Roger? That_ you_ should be chief?"

"Well, why not? I'm already Jack's second-hand man. Who says I can't be chief?"

"Well, no one I suppose-"

"Think about it Si. I can be chief and_ you_ can be my wife. That would make you a chiefess."

"But..." Simon tried to make sense of the situation, "But how are you going to get Jack to step down as chief? You know how he feels about his position in the tribe."

"I'll do what all the other chiefs do – you know, the ones in the westerns – I'll challenge him."

"_Challenge_ him? Roger, are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure. And when I win-"

"_If_ you win"

"Okay, _if_ I win I'll take his necklace, his spear, Ralph-"

"What do you mean you'll take Ralph?" Another frown spread across the younger boy's face. Those cheeks got a little pinker. Roger quickly kissed him.

"It's just tradition baby. You always have to take the chief's wife when you other throw them. You'll still be my favourite boy, so no worries okay?"

Simon nodded, though he looked doubtful. He rested his head on Roger's shoulder again and watched the sky again. Roger put an arm around him, but he didn't look up at the sky. He looked over at Ralph, who was busy sharing a kiss with Jack whilst Nim sat contently on his lap.

_Enjoy it while you can Finnegan_, a grin came to his lips, _You'll soon belong to me_


	14. The chief is challenged

"Hey Jack." Roger poked his head around the entrance of the cave, "Me and the boys were just about to go on a hunting trip. Fancy coming?"

"Can't." Jack replied without turning around, "Ralph's gone out with Simon so I have to take care of Nim."

Roger eyed the infant who was in his favourite corner of the cave, making circles in the sand with a small pebble.

"Can't Piggy take care of it?"

"He's on fire watch."

"Can't you just leave it here?"

Jack laughed, "He's just a little baby Roge. He'll fall off a cliff if I leave him alone."

Roger opened his mouth to say something but suddenly found he had nothing to say. He just stood and listened as Jack talked non stop about the baby.

"He crawled all the way to the other side of the cave yesterday. Ralph says it'll be a while before he starts walking but he's getting there, I can tell. _And_ he loves my singing – it always gets him to sleep. And Ralph thinks he might be a red-head like me. His hair is sort of blonde now but apparently it can change as he gets older. Wouldn't mind having a miniature version of myself running about the place."

"For someone who doesn't like babies, you don't half go on about it." Roger muttered

Jack blinked at him, "Who said I don't like babies?"

"Well you said you wanted nothing to do with it. You said it was dead to you, remember? And now here you are, chief of the tribe, acting like a personal babysitter."

"I'm _not_ a babysitter. Parents are supposed to look after their children."

"You're not it's parent Jack, it's parents are dead."

"Then me and Ralph are the next best thing."

"Look Jack, everyone's had enough. You never come out hunting anymore, you never keep watch, you never go and light the fire; all you do is stay in the cave all day and when we _do_ see you, all you can talk about is baby, baby, baby."

"That's not true."

"Yes it is. And we're all fed up. It's like you've forgotten all about us. When was the last time you played with the littleuns?"

Jack thought about it. It _had_ been a while.

"No, I didn't think so. We need a chief we can rely on." Roger stamped his spear into the earth below.

Jack eyes darkened, "What are you saying Roger?"

"I'm saying, _I_ should be chief. I'm the only one who pulls my weight around here, hunting and looking after the littleuns. _I_ should be in charge."

"Are you _challenging_ me?"

"Maybe I am."

Jack picked up his spear, walking slowly towards Roger until they were practically touching. Their eyes met, like dogs before a fight, silently provoking each other. Jack slowly stroked the wood on his spear, wondering if he should just stab Roger through the heart then and there. He heard a small gurgle and turned to see Nimrod sitting there staring at him, gently rubbing the pebble between his hands.

_Not in front of the child._

"Alright Roger…" he said quietly, setting the end of his spear neatly on the ground, "The beach, tonight. Tell everyone else."

"Hold on a minute. If I win, what's in it for me?"

"You get to be chief."

"Not good enough. I want something else too."

Jack fingered the necklace around his neck. Ralph had made it for him after finding a pretty looking shell which had broken in half. The necklace symbolised Jack's position in the tribe. He took a deep breath.

"Alright. If you win, you get to be chief and you get my necklace."

"Aren't you forgetting something?'

Jack's frowned, wondering what he'd missed out.

"Your little wife"

Jack's grip tightened on the spear, so hard his arm began trembling. His teeth clenched.

"Alright..." he muttered, "If you win, you get to be chief, you get my necklace….and you get Ralph."

Roger smirked, satisfied by the offer and held out his hand.

"Deal."


	15. A battle lost

"You said _what_?"

Jack winced at the tone of Ralph's voice and bent his head a little. Ralph stood there in front of him, arms clenched at his sides, unable to believe what he had just heard.

"I had to do it Ralph." The red-head said quietly, "Roger said-"

"Oh, so now you're doing everything _Roger _says? Bloody hell Jack, I am not your _property_! You can't just pass me around like I'm some kind of object!"

"I know, I'm _sorry_. I wasn't thinking!"

"No, you _never_ think do you? All you ever think about is yourself! You didn't think twice about how this would affect me – or Nim for that matter! You are _unbelievably _selfish Jack Merridew, and I hope you realise that!"

Jack allowed Ralph to yell at him. He had every right to. How could he have been so thoughtless, agreeing to give the boy he loved over to Roger of all people? It was too late to try to change Roger's mind; he was already preparing for the fight that was going to occur that night. Jack scratched the back of his head helplessly.

"What are we going to do?"

Ralph buried his face in his hands, sighing deeply, "I don't know. I suppose there's nothing we can do now. You'll just have to fight."

"But-"

"Listen Jack." Ralph went up to him and wound his arms around his waist, looking into his blue eyes, "Whatever happens…I'll always be yours, okay? I promise. And I still think you're a thoughtless git but…I love you. I really do."

"I love you too."

They placed a kiss on each other's lips, only breaking away when Ralph felt something tug at his leg. Nim clung to him, whining for attention. Jack smiled and picked the little one up.

"You've grown up so much" he said quietly to it, "I'm sorry I haven't always been good to you but…I love you Nim"

And he gently placed a kiss on the infant's brow.

* * *

><p>A voice rang out from outside the cave.<p>

"Is the chief ready yet?"

"Yes" Jack called back half heartedly.

The red-head stood tall, masked in war paint, red smeared over his eyes and forehead and blue outlining his cheeks. He had sharpened both ends of his spear and tightened the necklace around his neck.

"How do I look?" he quietly asked Ralph

Ralph smiled, reaching out and putting his hands on his cheeks so he caressed them with his thumbs, "Like a chief"

The blonde boy gently scooped up Nim, balancing him on his hip as he turned to the sound of shouting and laughter coming from the beach below.

"You ready?" Jack's voice was shaking a little

Ralph turned his head and looked into his eyes, "As I'll ever be"

They kissed again, before Jack took a deep breath and linking his hand with Ralph's, they both disappeared out of the mouth of the cave.

The boy's had made a circle on the sand.

When Jack arrived, he was greeted by the smug poked face of Roger, holding Simon around the waist with one hand and his spear with the other. At the sight of Ralph, his eyes gleamed menacingly and the blonde did his best not to meet his gaze. Instead, he looked at Simon whose eyes silently told him how sorry he was. A wave of Jack's hand and the group descended into silence.

"I have been challenged." He announced to the tribe, "One of you have decided I am not fit to be chief. And maybe he is right. But our strength will answer for us. Whoever holds the other one down for more than five seconds gets the necklace" he held the shell up so everyone could see and added with slight hesitation, "…and my wife"

At this, a murmur went though the group of boys. Ralph could feel his cheeks redden a little. Roger broke the commotion.

"Enough admonishment!' he said angrily, "Let's get this over with!"

Jack nodded and put the shell necklace back around his neck.

"Be brave" Ralph whispered to him before backing away to sit with the other boys. Jack gave him a half smile but his fear was obvious. The hands that held the spear began to tremble a little.

He and Roger began circling each other like wolves, their weapons clenched protectively at their sides. They waited for the signal.

"GO!" Sam bellowed out

Immediately, Roger sprang on the red-head so they both fell onto the sand, rolling around like a pair of dogs. Simon covered his mouth as Roger took the blunt end of his spear and knocked the side of Jack's head with it, the impact causing Jack to fall onto his side. He blinked, a drop of blood rolling down his temple. He grabbed Roger's waist before he could hit him again and brought them both onto the sand again.

Ralph watched tensely, setting Nim onto the floor. His eyes darted from Jack to Roger as he became unaware of who was winning. They fought like_ animals_; everything about this battle was inhuman. The crowd grimaced as Jack sent a punch to Roger's mouth and blood spilt over his lips. There was a tense pause, as Roger wiped away the red stuff that was dripping down his chin.

"Think that's enough?" he spat out a mouthful of blood, "Merely a scratch" and he lunged for Jack again as they resumed their battle.

Jack felt the muscles of Roger's arms move as he tried to throw him to the ground, but the red head was just too fast. He took a step forward and with his right hand, managed to twist the other boys arm behind his back. He smiled as a grunt of pain escaped those wounded lips and kicked him in the back of the knee; watching him fall to the ground and begin crawling around on the floor like a dog with a broken back. He leapt on his back, pinning him down as Sam began the countdown.

"5!"

He could feel Roger thrashing furiously below him but trying to escape was useless; _no one_ escaped the grip of Jack Merridew.

"4!"

Ralph gave a small sigh of relief when he saw Jack was winning and turned to pick up Nimrod again. But the child was gone. And it was only then that Ralph saw him, crawling into the crowd

"NIM, DON'T!" his cry was inaudible under the shouting as Nimrod entered the ring.

"3!"

Jack could feel victory in his hands. He looked up, grinning in Ralph's direction only to see the blonde haired boy's eyes were full of fear. And that's when he saw Nimrod crawling towards him, his eyes wide and excited as he made his way towards his surrogate father. Roger saw him too, and _his_ eyes glinted as he reached for his spear, aiming it in the infant's direction. When he saw what was happening, Ralph screamed.

"2!"

Jack knew what he needed to do. Quick as a flash, he flipped Roger over so the older boy now lay on top of him instead, the spear slipping out of his grasp and rolling away from reach. Roger blinked, dazed by the sudden reverse of roles.

There was silence as Sam finished counting down from five.


	16. Torn apart

When Roger realized he'd won, he leapt up to retrieve his spear and let out a cry of victory into the night sky. After he'd yelled out all his excitement, he marched over to where the red-head lay and tore the shell necklace from his neck, holding it up like a trophy.

"Tribe!" he called out, "Meet your new chief!"

There was a moment of silence, as if the boys were hesitating before they too began cheering; though it seemed rather put on. Roger put the necklace around his neck, the weight of the shell making him feel like a true leader. He then went and flipped Jack onto his stomach, putting a foot on his back and pushing down so the side of the red-head's face was pressed into the sand.

"And as for _this_ pathetic dog you called a chief…" Roger smirked, "Kill him! Cut his throat like you would a pig!"

The cheering came to a halt as the boys all eyed each other in shock. Jack closed his eyes, allowing a tear to fall. He could feel hands pulling him upwards to his knees and when he looked up he saw Robert, weeping as he bound the red head's hands behind his back.

Jack began praying in his head.

_Our Father, thou art in heaven, hallowed be your name..._

He could see Maurice, a spear in hand, descend towards him.

_Your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven..._

He closed his eyes as he felt the cold metal press against his neck, feeling a shiver go down his spine. He kept praying.

_Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil... _

Roger was smiling, holding up a hand. When he bought it down, the sand would be stained with Jack Merridew's blood.

_For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours. Now and for ever._

Jack sobbed as the hand rose high above Roger's head and he whispered in those split seconds he had to live.

"I love you Ralph…"

_Amen…_

"NO!"

The cry from the back of the ring startled Roger and there was a gasp as Ralph ran into the centre and threw himself at Jack, shielding him from any harm.

"Get him _away_!" Roger snapped at Maurice and Robert.

"If you kill him, if you _dare_ kill him!" no one had ever seen Ralph so vicious, he snarled at Roger like some kind of animal, "Then you will _never_ have me Roger! If you kill him, I'll kill _myself_!"

He reached out and snatched the knife that Jack always kept in his pocket; pressing it to his own throat. Roger stepped forward, putting his hand out as the littleuns began shrieking around him. Jack looked up at Ralph, with the knife pressed at his own throat. Had he gone mad? No…it wasn't madness in his eyes. Just love. Simple love.

"QUIET!" Roger yelled and immediately silence fell among the group. Everyone craned their heads to see what the chief had to say. He looked down at Ralph, who was holding Jack with one arm and pressing a knife over his larynx with the other. He nodded.

"Alright…" he said quietly, waving Maurice and Robert away from the two of them, "…alright"

He went over and took the knife from Ralph's hand, sliding it into his own pocket.

"You're lucky Merridew. Lucky that this one is batty enough to _die_ for you" he took Ralph roughly by the arm and pulled him up so he could hiss in his ear, "It's a good thing you're pretty, little one. Otherwise I probably would have _let _you do yourself in"

He pulled away from the blonde boy then announced to his tribe.

"Jack Merridew is banished! If he ever sets foot on this side of the island again, kill him! Stab him; cut his throat, I don't care! Just make sure you _kill_ him!"

He then diverted his attention to Nimrod, who was sitting in the middle of all this chaos sucking his thumb innocently. He smirked down at the infant and picked him up in his arms.

"This baby has nothing to do with you anymore" he said, more to Ralph than the others, "It's _my_ son now. My son and my heir. _Simon_!" he barked over to the dark-haired boy who slowly made his way into the centre of the ring, "_You're_ its mother now" he said, handing the infant to him, "Just make sure you take care of it properly"

Nimrod, frightened by the sudden change of faces, began crying. Distressed, Ralph stepped forward but was stopped by Jack's hand grasping him by the wrist and pulling him back. They both knew it was too late, that there was nothing they could do.

As Simon made his way back to the cave still holding Nimrod, Roger went and put his arm around Ralph's waist.

"Time to go, _love_" he said, enjoying the look of disgust that spread across Ralph's face, "You must be tired"

He glanced at Maurice and Robert and nodded at Jack, "Toss him in a ditch somewhere"

When Ralph looked back, he met Jack's eyes as the red-head was pulled to his feet and dragged away into the darkness. And as their eyes met, through the pitiful tears they shared, they both knew at that moment that it was all over.


	17. Broken spirits

Ralph didn't say a word when they eventually got back to the cave.

Simon was already there, rocking a howling Nimrod who seemed desperate to get to his proper mother. Roger smirked at the pain in Ralph's eyes as he watched the baby he considered his own son wail and try to get to him.

"For God's sake Simon, hold onto it before you drop it." the chief snapped, ignoring the glare cast at him from the younger boy. He glanced at Ralph, then nodded his head towards the corner of the cave.

"Go and sit there."

Obediently but with absolutely no eye contact, Ralph trailed his way into the corner, sitting himself down on the rocky floor. The cave had suddenly lost its homely vibe. For a moment, it was just a cave.

* * *

><p>Jack stifled a gasp of pain as the side of his face hit the ground. He winced, the wound on his head caused by Roger's spear making his mind throb. Maurice and Robert towered over him, looking down pitifully at the boy who was once their chief and friend. Carefully, Robert cut the ropes which bound his hands together.<p>

"You're free, Dog." He said the word "dog" with slight hesitation, "Now get out of here. The chief will kill you if you don't." And they both turned to walk back up the slope.

"Why are you doing this?" Jack let the question slip from his mouth, "Why are you letting him do this?"

The two boys paused and he heard one of them sigh.

"He's the chief now Jack." Maurice said, "We _have_ to listen to him, like we had to listen to you when you were chief."

This answer crossed Jack's mind and he nodded.

"I'm sorry." He muttered, wiping the dirt from the side of his face.

"So are we" Robert mumbled back and they both started climbing back up the slope, leaving the red-head to pick himself up and wander into the empty forest.

He found a spot in the bushes which was clear of any pigs and bugs and carefully made himself a bed of leaves.

It reminded him of Nimrod's cot.

He lay himself down on the plants which scratched and tickled his tanned skin. This was the first time since they'd arrived on the island, that he'd slept alone.

* * *

><p>"Simon, I think the baby could use some fresh air."<p>

Simon glanced at Roger, who was sitting on a rock in the middle of the cave sharpening the spear which had won him Ralph.

"He's fine." The younger boy said quietly, though the little one was still snivelling in his arms.

"He looks too hot." Roger said with an edge to his voice, as he played with his shell necklace impatiently, "Take him out."

Simon saw the older boy throw a longing glance at Ralph and his eyes narrowed a little. But he shrugged and started walking to the mouth of the cave. Before he left, he cast a glare at Ralph which had a mixed message of pity and jealousy wavering through it, making the blonde boy shudder from where he was sitting. And then he was gone; out into the night air.

As soon as Simon had left, Roger leapt up and went straight to Ralph, pulling him up by the arm and pushing him against the wall.

"_Finally_" he whispered, "We're alone…"

He leaned forward and ran a tongue across Ralph's bottom lip, sending a burning feeling throughout his jaw. The blonde boy tried to pull away but an arm tightened around his waist, pulling him closer till he felt he was paralysed against Roger's body. He shivered. Fear was an emotion he despised the most, and as he stood there; cold and with no one to save him, he felt the tears begin to run out of the sides of his eyes.

"It's okay" Roger's voice was soothing yet menacing all the same, "You'll get used to it."

"You're _sick_" Ralph spat the words out.

This comment made the smile disappear from Roger's lips "Say that again..."

"You heard me. You're sick. You're bloody-"

Roger cut him off by hitting his cheek hard, the noise echoed off the walls and then went silent. Neither of them spoke, neither of them moved. Ralph hung his head low, his hair covering his eyes so it hid the stinging tears he was holding back. Not being able to look at the monster before him, he watched the floor instead.

After a while, when he'd summoned the courage, he lifted his head; the red hand mark still visible in the side of his face and he muttered, "You'll _never_ be Jack Merridew…."

Barely catching what the younger boy had said, Roger let it soak in his mind. Being compared to Jack…it was more than he could bear. He slapped Ralph in the face again, and repeatedly did it over and over until the boy's spirit was broken down into nothing, shattered like Piggy's specs.

Ralph took it, and took it, and took it, multiple times, not once letting the tears escape from his eyes, showing his weakness to Roger, who may have hurt him further if he showed the smallest glint of fear. What seemed like years later, the violent smacks stopped and Roger was almost at tears himself.

"Don't you _ever_ compare me to him" he breathed slowly, "Don't you ever…that name is forbbiden in this tribe now, you hear me?"

"Roger…. Ralph?"

The voice broke the emotions flying around the cave, as Ralph's eyes widened with shock from hearing the broken voice of Sam standing at the cave entrance with Eric, both of them rubbing their sleepy eyes.

He didn't want the twins to see him like this; beaten and broken. He closed his eyes as Roger turned around to address the frightened boys.

"Get lost" he growled at them, turning back to look at the crippled Ralph.

"Ralph…" Eric shuffled forward nervously, "What's going on?"

"I _said_ get lost!" Roger turned on them, his hand balling into a fist, "Do you _want _a smack?"

SamnEric leapt back, clutching each other protectively when Ralph's weak voice coughed from below Roger.

"Sam. Eric. I'll be fine, go back to Piggy."

"Are you sure Ralph?" Sam eyed Roger nervously.

"I'm sure honey. Go to Piggy now."

The twins shuffled off nervously, leaving the two alone again. Ralph diverted his eyes upwards to give Roger the dirtiest look he possibly could. Roger shook his head at him.

"I just don't know what to do with you…."

Ralph said nothing; just stayed slumped onto the ground, not looking up or acknowledging anything the older boy said.

"Are you even listening to me?"

No reply again.

"I see…giving me the silent treatment are you?"

All of a sudden, Ralph shot up and darted out of the cave; Roger took a step forward but then decided against it. The blonde boy needed time to cool off, he decided. Ralph skidded down the slope, not stopping till he reached the bottom of it and ran into the forest, ignoring the branches that tore at his cheeks. He knew he couldn't go far; Maurice and Robert would track him down and take him back in no time. But he didn't care, he kept running.

Then all of a sudden, he tripped over something and landed painfully on his front.

"Stupid thing" he muttered, turning and kicking the object in the darkness.

"_Ow_! Hey, what was that for?"

"Jack?"

Jack opened his eyes, rubbing the bruise forming on his stomach. He looked up and saw Ralph's aquatic eyes glittering in the darkness.

He gasped and all of a sudden the blonde boy was on top of him, pulling him into a kiss.


	18. You're my idiot

"Ralph, I missed you so much. Please baby, don't leave me again, alright? I love you, God I _love_ you." Jack said through the passionate kisses that they exchanged, never once breaking the kiss for more than two words.

Finally pulling back to take a breath, Ralph looked into Jack's bloated, tearful eyes. His own eyes became wet. Jack's kisses were so different to that of Roger's. Roger was merciless; his savage tongue tried to overpower your mouth, leaving sloppy trails of saliva behind. Jack's kisses were gentle and comforting, like cotton wool dabbing at your skin.

"Jack..." Ralph nuzzled his head into the red-head's neck, "You old drama queen. We've only been apart a few hours."

"But it felt like forever" Jack smiled slightly, tears still falling as he stroked the cheeks he'd been dying to stroke, "I've been thinking of you" he added quietly, "And I've been thinking of Nim as well. I can't believe what an ass I was, of _course_ I want him Ralph. I've _always_ wanted him. He's our kid now. I promise Ralphy, when we get out of this mess we'll be like a proper family; just me, you and him. I swear."

He placed a tender kiss on Ralph's forehead. The younger boy reacted by closing his eyes, allowing the red head to place more on each eyelid carefully, then on his nose. They pressed their foreheads together as they lay, wrapped up in each other's embrace.

Jack moved his head down to Ralph's neck, kissing and nibbling on the clammy skin. He pushed the collar of Ralph's shirt down to kiss his collarbone, only to reveal large swollen welts around his neck where Roger had brutally beaten him only an hour before.

"Ralph…" he asked as he stared at them sickly, "What are these?"

Ralph winced as he remembered the marks left there from Roger. He didn't need to reply, Jack already knew.

"It was him…" Jack couldn't even bring himself to say his name, "…wasn't it?"

"It's nothing Jack." Ralph said gently, caressing the red-head's cheek in order to soothe the anger building up in the older boy's heart.

Jack began planting kissing onto the welts, hoping that his lips making contact with the sore skin didn't cause Ralph any form of pain.

The last thing Ralph wanted Jack to do in this moment was worry about him. Because now they were together again and that was good enough. Luckily for him, Jack didn't touch on the subject anymore; he just sucked on the blonde boy's neck, leaving kisses everywhere his mouth was placed.

* * *

><p>"Why so glum Simon? You look like one of the littleuns at bath time."<p>

Roger's play with words did not amuse the younger boy. The glare remained across his face, darkening his expression. Nim lay restless in his arms; he may have been a baby but he was not stupid. He knew Simon wasn't Ralph and at that moment in time, he wanted the blonde haired boy more than anyone else.

"Shut that thing up will you?" Roger snarled and tore off another piece of meat from the pig Maurice and Robert had just caught, "It's doing my head in"

Simon looked around, 'Where's Ralph?" he asked bitterly. The sun was almost up and the blonde boy had not been around all night.

"He ran off." Roger said in a matter of fact way, "But he'll be back soon - if he knows what's good for him."

Simon said nothing in reply. Just kept rocking the baby, quietly trying to soothe it. It didn't work. The infant hollered even more.

"For God's sake!" Roger leapt up and grabbed his spear, ready to put a stop to the crying altogether. He was stopped as Simon's hand flew out and pushed him hard in the chest.

"Don't you touch him! I _swear_ Roger, if you dare touch him you'll never see _me_ again!"

Roger blinked in surprise, slowly lowering the spear in his hand. Simon settled the baby onto the ground and he immediately stopped crying, crawling away to his favourite corner of the cave. Roger was still speechless.

"You can't speak to me like that" he said, "I'm chief!"

"No you're not! You're a coward!"

"Say that again…go on, I _dare_ you-!"

"Coward!"

"_Who's_ a coward?"

"_You_ are! Coward, coward, _coward_!"

Roger took a step forward, his eyes blazing in fury. His fists clenched as if he intended to hit the younger boy, as he'd done with Ralph. Simon was probably the only person who wasn't afraid of the older boy.

"Go on" he said provocatively, "Smack me one. After all, I_ deserve_ it."

Roger closed his eyes, his fist slowly becoming a hand again as he turned away from the shorter boy and did his best to calm himself down.

"If you ever say that again…"

"You'll do what?"

"I'll _whip_ you!" Roger turned back around, his voice like thunder, "If you ever say that again, I'll whip you and I'll-"

"You'll _what_? _Kill_ me? If you want to kill me Roger, go ahead! Right now!" he got onto his knees, arms out as if he was about to hug someone.

Roger's hands started shaking a little and he glanced down at the spear in his hands as if it was a wild animal. It all felt so sickeningly wrong all of a sudden, all the weapons and the war paint and the shell necklace. His eyes squeezed shut, and suddenly tears started to fall. He threw the spear aside so it broke in half against the stone wall as he dropped to his knees in front of Simon and smoothed his hands over those soft cheeks.

"I could never kill you..." he whispered, gazing into those beautiful eyes, "...I love you..."

"No you don't." Simon said harshly, "All you care about is Ralph."

"That's not true Si."

"Then _why_ Roger?" Simon blurted out desperately, "Why all this?"

Roger licked his dry lips, "I just wanted to be good enough for you."

"What do you-?"

"I wasn't good enough Simon. I was just the choir boy. I was a sheep. I was always following someone, following Jack. I could see how much you admired Jack, because he was a leader. And I was just part of the flock. So I thought maybe if I became chief and proved my strength, I'd be good enough for you."

Simon couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"So…you're doing this for _me_?"

Roger's cheeks reddened and he nodded.

"Roger, you _pillock_! Of course you're good enough for me! I've been crazy about you since year one in primary school! I didn't care whether you were a leader or a sheep or whatever you call it, I loved you for _you_! Why on earth did you think you weren't good enough?"

Roger struggled to find the words, "I…"

"You may be a right idiot." Simon pressed his forehead against the older boy's, "but you're _my_ idiot."

Roger wiped the wetness from his eyes, sighing as he held Simon closer. From the corner of the cave, Nim cocked his head to one side thoughtfully. Roger caught the baby's eye.

"I've been a right bastard, haven't I?"

Simon sighed, putting his arms around his neck.

"Yeah…" he said quietly, "Yeah, you have..."


	19. The chief returns

When Ralph opened his eyes, he was still in Jack's arms.

The sun was up, brighter than ever. He sighed, realising he would eventually have to return to the cave. Back to Roger.

He turned when he heard Jack stirring beside him and started stroking that red hair until those blue eyes fluttered open and a smile spread across the older boy's lips.

"Morning."

Ralph gently kissed him, "Did you sleep well?"

"_Very_." The red-head sat up, running his fingers through his hair

Ralph licked his dry lips, "You know I can't stay Jack."

"Yeah, I know."

"I should go."

"Just a bit longer." Jack begged, leaning over and kissing him again. After a few seconds, Ralph pulled away.

"Jack…Maurice and Robert will be here soon. You heard Roger, they'll kill you"

"I don't care"

"Jack-"

"I mean it Ralph, I don't care anymore. They can do whatever they want to me"

"Don't talk like that" Ralph put his arms around his neck, "Find a place in the forest Jack. And I'll try to see you as often as I can"

"Will you bring Nim?"

"I'll try"

"Promise?"

"I promise."

They gently kissed each other again, clinging to each other as if they couldn't bear to let go.

"I love you..." Jack whispered when they had pulled away.

Ralph blinked back the tears and muttered, "I love you too," before pulling the red-head in for their final kiss.

* * *

><p>A rustling in the bushes made Robert jump and he clutched his spear protectively.<p>

"Who goes there?" he barked out fiercely, scanning the bushes incase it was the beast.

He relaxed when he saw it was only Ralph.

"Where've you been? The chief's been looking everywhere for you"

Ralph said nothing, just looked at his feet.

"You were with Jack, weren't you?"

Ralph's cheeks flushed pink, wondering if it was really that obvious. Nothing got past Robert.

"It's okay" Robert said when he saw the alarm in the younger boy's expression, "I won't tell. But don't do it again. Roger seemed pretty narked last night. He don't like you running off."

Ralph gave a half smile and went into the cave. The first thing he saw was Simon curled up asleep in the corner, Nimrod still in his arms. Roger was sitting by himself on a rock, his spear in his hand. He barely noticed Ralph when he came in. The cave had never been so quiet; all that could be heard was the calm of the sea below them and the gentle humming of the birds. For a second, it was as if all the chaos and madness had disappeared and was replaced with a more gentle, nurturing atmosphere.

"I'm sorry"

Ralph looked up, frowning. It couldn't have been Roger that apologised. Roger never apologised for anything. But Simon was still asleep in the corner and there was no one else around.

"I'm sorry" Roger said again

It was confusion that overthrew Ralph at that moment when the words left Roger's mouth. Then anger.

"So that's it?" Ralph felt his eyes blazing with anger, "A small, measly apology?"

Roger kept his head bent.

"I always knew you were weak but I didn't know you were pathetic as well. God, it's no wonder everyone thinks you're a joke. One minute you're a power-hungry lunatic, the next you're some kind of pacifist who believes in second chances. What are you Roger; a sadist or just a complete idiot? Don't even bother answering that because you're _both_. You always have been and you always will be. I mean, do you know how messed up in the head you are? You are damn lucky to have Simon because do you know what? No one else in this bloody world would have you unless they were deaf, blind or dumb!"

Ralph paused for breath, his cheeks glowing red. After what seemed to be a lifetime Roger looked up at him, his eyes glassed over.

"Are you finished?"

Ralph chewed his lip slightly and nodded. He didn't have any words left and even if he did it wouldn't be worth saying them. He looked Roger properly in the eyes, glaring at the pathetic child he really was.

"I'm going back to Jack." He said quietly, "I'm taking Nim and we're going back to him. You'll never have to see us again."

"Save yourself the time Ralph."

A voice from the entrance of the cave made Ralph turn around. Roger gripped his spear until his hands shook as his sight set upon the familiar pair of blue eyes. The red head stood taller than he'd ever stood before, his battle wound still present on his temple. When he spoke, it made the current chief shiver.

"I'm already here."


	20. Turning the tables

At the sight of Jack, Roger leaped in fright, then remembered his dignity and became still. Jack seemed taller; his war paint was faint but still visible and his blue eyes glowed against the sun. He loomed over the other boy, making him shrink.

Robert and Maurice came hurrying into the cave after him, trying to catch their breath.

"Sorry chief, he was too fast for us" Robert paused when no movement came from Roger then glanced from him to Jack.

"Jack…" it took Ralph a second to take it all in before he flew into the red head's arms, "Jack, I told you to wait"

"I couldn't wait" Jack ran his fingers through that blonde hair then looked daggers at Roger, "A chief doesn't wait for anything"

"You're not chief..." Roger's words came out pathetic. The hands that held the spear shook.

Jack glanced to the corner of the cave where his own spear lay snapped in half.

"I will be soon Roger" he picked up one half of the spear, examining it, ignoring the look in the older boy's eyes, "You'll be able to patch this up, won't you Ralph?"

This made Roger look up "What do you mean by that?"

"I'm challenging you"

"You can't do-"

"Yes I can. I challenge you" he held the sharp end of the spear triumphantly, which made Ralph's heart flutter.

The colour drained from Roger's face, "You…you can't…you…"

"And if I win, I'm chief again. And I get your necklace. And your wife"

Roger glanced over towards Simon who had been awoken by the noise and was blinking at them in weary confusion. At the sight of Jack, Nim squealed with delight and started crawling towards him.

"_And_ I get my son back" Jack added

"He's not yours…he's _mine_…"

"We'll see about that"

Roger felt his bottom lip trembling and he cast a glare at Robert and Maurice.

"Well don't just stand there! _Kill_ him!"

The two boys glanced at each other nervously.

"Did _I_ kill you when you challenged me?" Jack snapped, "_Did_ I?"

Roger stared at them helplessly, then at Simon who was on the cave floor, oblivious to the mess Roger had just gotten them into. He took a deep breath and allowed a single tear to escape his eye.

"Alright…" he felt himself shaking and he stuck his spear into the ground in defeat, "…alright…tonight at the beach. We'll fight. And if you win you get everything. _If_ you win..."


	21. Roger's plea

Doubt was a feeling Roger rarely felt. He watched his reflection in the river, as his face became uneven by the ripples. He didn't understand. He was normally so confident, so ahead of himself. But now…now he felt like a pathetic child. A thousand doubts spiralled around his head. Thoughts of fire and drums and banishment and death. He thought of the familiar cold steel draining the blood from his throat...

He shook his head and applied fresh war paint. SamnEric were already at the beach, drawing a circle in the sand. Roger glanced at his reflection again, at his red painted eyes and his blue cheeks and his chin dripping with charcoal. His face grimaced in disgust. He cupped the water in his hands and wiped the paint and clay off his face, splashing so hard he brought tears to his own eyes. He was disgusted by himself. This island had turned him into a vile animal. No…not the island. There was no point blaming the island anymore. It was him. He was vile.

He couldn't go through with this. It wasn't right.

With a heavy breath, Roger rushed off to find Jack.

* * *

><p>Jack decided to spend as much time as he could with Nim. He lay on his back in the cave; the infant outstretched in his arms and made faces at him whilst Ralph watched from a reasonable distance. Jack had a completely different attitude towards Nim now; you'd never have believed that only a week ago he couldn't stand to be around the little angel. Now he treated the baby as if he was his own. And that was exactly how Ralph wanted it.<p>

"Yeah Nim" Jack said playfully, "Daddy's going out fighting isn't he? _Isn't_ he?"

Nim just giggled in reply. A smile crossed Ralph's lips but suddenly disappeared when he heard someone enter the cave behind him. He cast his eyes upon Roger, a completely different Roger who was clean faced and without a spear. Jack remembered his dignity and got up off the floor, Nim still in his arms.

"You should be at the beach"

"I need to talk to you…" and he turned to Ralph with as much sincerity in his voice as he could, "Alone if you don't mind"

Hesitation flickered across those blue eyes but then Ralph shrugged and took Nim from Jack. As soon as they were alone, Roger took a step towards Jack.

"This can't go on. The fight, we have to-"

"It _must_ go on. I challenged you, remember?"

"But one of us may be killed!"

"You've never cared about death before"

"I know what I've done is unforgivable-"

"Unforgivable doesn't even top it"

"Jack _please_" he went up to Jack and took one of his hands, "You're my best friend"

"Correction" Jack pulled away, "We _were_ best friends. Then you tried to kill me and tortured the boy I love"

"I know and I'm sorry" Roger was suddenly on his knees, "I was a twat and I deserve to get my throat cut like a pig. But I don't want to fight you again Jack. I'm scared I'll hurt you. I've hurt so many people. I'm an animal, everyone thinks so. I don't deserve to be chief, I never did. But you, you're a _great_ chief and the others need you. If you die then what will they do? Before I thought you weren't worthy of being our chief and I thought I could do a better job. But I was wrong Jack, I was wrong. There, I said it, I was _wrong_. And if you think I'm going to fight you, you've got another thing coming. You're my friend Jack and I could never hurt you. I _love _you Jack, I love you!"

He dissolved into sobs and covered his face, weeping pitifully into his hands. He felt arms wrapping around him and a gentle voice.

"Roge? It's alright. I forgive you, you tosser...I forgive you"

All of a sudden both boys were crying in a strong embrace, their tears mingling together for the first time since they'd arrived on the island. All of a sudden something passed between them – a feeling of sudden regret and forgiveness towards one another. All of a sudden, the two boys who for a while were deadly enemies now pressed themselves together, crying out all their pain and misery.

Attracted by the noise, the others came and peered through the entrance of the cave and their eyes feel upon the two chiefs; who in their world, nothing mattered anymore. Sam tugged at Ralph's shirt.

"Does this mean there isn't going to be a fight...?"


	22. A beautiful ship

A month passed and everything seemed back to normal.

Jack was made chief again and soon got everything back to the way it should have been. The littleun's were overjoyed to have their "parents" back and greeted Ralph and Jack with a group hug which almost killed them both. Simon became a surrogate auntie to Nim and succeeded in mending Jack's broken spear (some mud and a few vines did a very good job.) Jack forgave Roger for his actions but that didn't mean the older boy didn't have to pay for what he had done. After Jack was put back in charge, Roger was oficially made a chief – a chief _babysitter_ that is.

"Alright you lot" Roger stood above the littleun's one particularly sunny day, holding his spear in one hand, "Your parents are out, so _I'm_ in charge"

A groan came from the group.

"But Uncle _Roger_" Percival whined, "You always make us do hard work when you look after us"

"Hard work is what you need. You lot are all getting to be a bunch of softies you are! Now quit complaining and get up off your arses! I want you in that forest in ten seconds!"

"But what if a pig catches us?"

"If a pig catches you, I'll chase it off and your Aunt Simon will take care of the wounds. Now less talk, more movement! Come on, I want ten laps around the jungle then we'll work on our pushups! Everyone in a straight line, one behind the other! And _no_ slacking!"

Whilst all this was going on, Jack and Ralph had found themselves a quiet spot on the beach where they sat and talked for a while, with Nim seated comfortably in between them.

"To think" Ralph laughed, "A month ago you couldn't stand him. Now look at you!"

Jack pulled a face, "Couldn't stand him? Whatever gave you that idea?" he went back to playing with Nim, muttering to him in baby talk which made Ralph laugh even more.

"You know…" the blonde looked out at the sea, sparkling blue in front of them, "He makes me think about home sometimes. He reminds me of my brother"

Jack looked up and grinned, "I knew it. I _knew_ you had a sibling. So _that's_ why you're so good with Nim!"

Ralph shrugged, "I guess"

A sudden wave of pain passed between them and Jack shuffled up beside the blonde, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

Ralph shook his head, "It's not your fault. It's just…I miss him. I miss my little brother"

"What's his name?"

"Harry"

"How old is he?"

"Not much older than Nim"

Jack lowered his eyes and wrapped his arms round Ralph's waist, "You'll see him again Ralph, don't worry. We'll find a way off this island. Even if we have to swim back to England, you'll see"

Ralph laughed, then turned his head, "Hey. At least I have you to worry about in the meantime. Not to mention our children"

Jack smirked, "Boy. Looks like you have your hands full"

Ralph shrugged, "That's parenthood"

He leaned forward and started kissing the red haired boy playfully, running his tongue against his bottom lip like a hungry dog. Jack responded by sticking his tongue in his mouth and letting his hands wander around Ralph's perfectly shaped body. After what seemed like years, they pulled away and gazed into each other's eyes for a while before Jack spoke again.

"Ralph?"

"Yes Jack?"

"Do you know what you remind me of?"

Ralph giggled and closed his eyes, "What do I remind you of Jack?"

"You remind me of a beautiful…ship"

The blue eyes opened again, confused, "Ship? What on earth are you-?"

"No, ship! Over there!" Jack pointed towards the sea and without a doubt there it was, in the horizon. A ship.

The two boys glanced at each other, before Ralph leapt to his feet.

"Well?" he grinned at Jack, "What are we waiting for? Tell Piggy to get the fire going! This could be our only chance!"


	23. Home

"Come on Ralph…you have to do it eventually…"

Ralph didn't reply, he just held Nimrod tighter to him, unable to let go. He could feel everyone's eyes on him, telling him to do the right thing. But he couldn't, he just _couldn't_.

Jack put an arm around him, "He'll be fine. You know you can't keep him forever. Think about what's best for him"

The captain of the ship stood in front of the two boys patiently, his eyes focused on the blonde who was holding the baby protectively. He had no idea of the bond between the boy and the child. But he could imagine it was a strong one. The boys had been marooned on the island for several months; he had every right to be reluctant to give up the baby he looked to as his own. But it wasn't his own. It turned out Nimrod had a family back in England. A family that missed him very much.

Realizing that Jack was right, Ralph slowly bent his head down and kissed the pale little forehead, feeling a tear fall down his cheek. He allowed Jack to kiss him as well, before holding him out for the captain to take with trembling arms. The scene overwhelmed Simon and he hastily wiped away his own tears before anyone noticed. The captain gently took the baby from the child and handed it to the ship's first aider.

"Does he have a name?" he asked Ralph.

Ralph's lips trembled, making him unable to speak without bursting into tears. Jack intervened.

"Nim. His name's Nim"

"Nim.." the captain let that name sink into his mind, "Very distinguished. You boys did a very good job looking after him. He seems in good health. He'll be taken good care of, don't you worry"

Ralph didn't say a word, he just bowed his head and hurriedly walked past the captain, into one of the cabins. The door shut abruptly, making the littleuns jump. Jack made a move to go after him, but was stopped by the captain.

"Let him be lad" he said gently, "He needs to be alone."

* * *

><p>Hours later, Jack summoned up the courage to knock at the door of Ralph's cabin. The blonde had refused to eat the food given to him and after walking past his door a few times, Robert had told the others that he could hear crying coming from the other side of the door. After receiving no reply, Jack opened it and found Ralph sobbing on one of the beds, his head plunged into a pillow. Jack had never been very good at comforting people, so he just sat down next to Ralph and put a hand on his shoulder to ease the pain a little, giving the younger boy time to pull himself together.<p>

"Ralph…he'll be alright."

The sobbing ceased and then came a sigh. The blonde sat up, his eyes red and sore, his forehead beaded slightly with sweat.

"I know…I just miss my baby."

"He wasn't yours Ralph. He has a family already."

"I still love him."

"So do I. But you knew from the start that he'd have to go home eventually. We're just kids ourselves Ralph. Any longer on that island and we wouldn't have been able to cope."

Ralph opened his mouth to argue, then realised Jack was right and sighed again. He wound his arms around the red-head and put his head on the crook of his neck.

"I forgot how wise you are Jack Merridew."

Jack laughed and kissed the top of his head. A thought suddenly struck him and he pulled away from Ralph gently.

"Ralph…there's something I want to show you."

"What is it…? Jack, take your hands away from my eyes, I can't see."

"That's the point. Now no peeking until we get there."

He led Ralph out of the cabin and onto the deck, where Maurice was attempting to herd the littleun's into an orderly line. When they got to the bow of the boat, Jack took his hands from Ralph's eyes.

"What do you think?"

Ralph stared out at the sunset in the horizon, feeling a grin spread across his lips. The sky was full of colours, the intensity of the light calming his broken heart almost instantly. The sun was like a great big romantic, inspirational fire in the sky. He could feel Jack's arms winding round his waist and a warm pair of lips met the side of his face.

"It's amazing" Ralph whispered, leaning back in the embrace.

"Yeah it is. It's the second most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my life."

Ralph blinked and looked up at him, "What's the first?"

A grin spread across the red head's lips, "Now Ralph. I don't think I need to answer that, do I?"

Ralph could feel his cheeks burning and he simpered coyly, planting a kiss on Jack's cheek. The older boy craned his head over to the other end of the boat where Simon and Roger were doing a dip kiss, whilst the littleuns gaped at them. He smirked.

"Honestly, look at those lovebirds. And they call _us_ disgusting."

"Mister Merridew?"

Jack jumped at the sound of his name and instantly unwrapped his arms from around Ralph's waist. The captain stood in front of them, holding something in his arms.

"It seems this little one wanted to say a proper goodbye."

At the sight of Ralph, Nim whined furiously and held his little arms out for the blonde to take him. Ralph did so with slight uncertainty and thanked the captain in a small voice.

"What's wrong?" Jack asked when the captain had moved on, "I thought you wanted to spend more time with him."

"I do…but the longer I spend with him, the more painful it is to let him go."

"I know Ralph" Jack put his arms round him again, "But when you get home you'll see Harry again won't you? And that'll be just like having Nim around."

"I suppose…"

"And I'm pretty sure his family will be damn grateful to us for keeping him alive for them. They'll let you stay in contact with him for sure."

"Yeah…maybe they will. I guess it isn't too bad. At least we don't have to feed him anymore."

"Or change him"

"Or run around panic stricken every time he wanders off."

"See? It's not all bad is it? You hear that Nim?" he called down to the baby in Ralph's arms, "You're finally going home. How does that feel?"

The baby studied him with his blue eyes, then opened his mouth and muttered a word that made both Jack and Ralph gasp and then start laughing and crying at the same time.

"Home…"


End file.
